frank adjective - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

TOP

Definition of frank adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

frank

adjective

/fræŋk/

(comparative franker, superlative frankest)

more frank is also common.

jump to other results

honest and direct in what you say, sometimes in a way that other people might not like
- a full and frank discussion
- a frank admission of guilt
- He was very frank about his relationship with the actress.
- To be frank with you, I think your son has little chance of passing the exam.
Synonyms honest
honestfrank ▪ direct ▪ open ▪ outspoken ▪ straight ▪ bluntThese words all describe people saying exactly what they mean without trying to hide feelings, opinions or facts.
honest not hiding the truth about something:
Thank you for being so honest with me.
frank honest in what you say, sometimes in a way that other people might not like:
To be frank with you, I think your son has little chance of passing the exam.
direct saying exactly what you mean in a way that nobody can pretend not to understand:
You’ll have to get used to his direct manner.
Being direct is sometimes considered positive but sometimes it is used as a ‘polite’ way of saying that somebody is rude.open (approving) (of a person) not keeping thoughts and feelings hidden:
He was quite open about his reasons for leaving.
outspoken saying exactly what you think, even if this shocks or offends people:
She was outspoken in her criticism of the plan.
straight honest and direct:
I don’t think you’re being straight with me.
blunt saying exactly what you think without trying to be polite:
She has a reputation for blunt speaking.
which word?
- Honest and frank refer to what you say as much as how you say it:
  a(n) honest/frank admission of guilt.
  They are generally positive words, although it is possible to be too frank in a way that other people might not like. Direct, outspoken and blunt all describe somebody’s manner of saying what they think. Outspoken suggests that you are willing to shock people by saying what you believe to be right. Blunt and direct often suggest that you think honesty is more important than being polite. Open is positive and describes somebody’s character:
  I’m a very open person.
Patterns
- honest/frank/direct/open/outspoken/straight about something
- honest/frank/direct/open/straight/blunt with somebody
- a(n) honest/direct/straight/blunt answer
- a frank/direct/blunt manner
Extra Examples
- Macmillan was quite frank about his concerns.
- She surveyed Sophie from top to toe in a disarmingly frank way.
- She was brutally frank in her assessment of our chances.
- To be frank, I don't care who wins.
Topics Personal qualitiesc1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verbs
- be
adverb
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
preposition
- about
- with
phrases
- full and frank
- to be frank (with you)…
See full entry
Word Originadjective Middle English (in the sense ‘free’): from Old French franc, from medieval Latin francus ‘free’, from Francus (only Franks had full freedom in Frankish Gaul), of the same origin and related to French. Another Middle English sense was ‘generous’, which led to the current sense.

Take your English to the next level

The Oxford Learner’s Thesaurus explains the difference between groups of similar words. Try it for free as part of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app

See frank in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee frank in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

Check pronunciation: frank

Other results

All matches

Nearby words

indeed

adverb

From the Word list

OPAL spoken words

Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day